#31

THE INPIM E-NEWSLETTER
November 2003, Number 31
http://www.inpim.org

In This Issue:

News:

1.         “Agriculture, Food, and Water,” an excerpt from the United Nations World Water Development Report

2.         New Publication: “Establishing Sustainable Farmer-Managed Irrigation Organizations” by G.V. Skogerboe, G.P. Merkley, R.F. Rifenburg”

INPIM ACTIVITIES:

3.         INPIM Executive Director Participates in Irrigation Reform Workshop in Guyana

4.         INPIM Participates in the First National Workshop on PIM in China

Upcoming Events:

5.         2^nd WASAE International Agricultural Engineering Conference: Hunger Without Frontiers, Kumasi, Ghana, 24 - 28 September 2004

6.         International Conference on Water and Wastewater Management for Developing Countries, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28 to 30 July 2004

7.         International Conference on the Sustainable Management of Sodic

Lands, February 23-28, Lucknow, India

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1. Agriculture, Food, and Water

Producing our daily food requires one thousand times more water than we use to drink and one hundred times more than we use to meet our basic personal needs. Rainfed agriculture alone cannot ensure global food supply, and up to 70 percent of the water we take from rivers and aquifers goes into irrigated agriculture. Agriculture is the major source of food and by far the largest consumer of water on the globe.

What is the role of water in the world's food production? What are the contributions to food production from rainfed and irrigated agriculture and from fisheries? How can more food be produced with the same amount of water? What role does the market play? How does food security connect to poverty and water use? This report discusses these and many other questions using up-to-date information and state-of-the-art knowledge. The United Nations World Water Development Report and its various thematic components provide a periodic review of the world's freshwater resources and the way we steward them. Chapter 8 of the report is re-issued here as “Agriculture, Food, and Water”.

Available in pdf at: ftp://ftp.fao.org/agl/aglw/docs/agricfoodwater.pdf

Technical contact: JeanMarc.Faures@fao.org

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2. New Publication: “Establishing Sustainable Farmer-Managed Irrigation Organizations” by G.V. Skogerboe, G.P. Merkley, R.F. Rifenburg”

This book covers a comprehensive methodology for undertaking the management transfer of agricultural irrigation systems to water users organizations, including an examination of several past experiences in different countries. The material and concepts presented herein are based mostly upon the work and experience of the authors, who have worked in irrigation water management, training, operation & maintenance, and irrigation system management transfer in more than 20 countries. Most of the ideas contained herein have matured over the years, yet some generic modifications are continually made to improve the process, as are site-specific adaptations to local conditions and situations. It is proposed that the processes espoused in this book might be generally applicable to transfers of irrigation system management in most cases, although the nomenclature and some details will vary from one place to another.

Herve Plusquellec, Engineer and Retired World Bank Staff wrote the following review of this book:

“This book contains two parts. Part A presents the lessons learned from irrigation development including experiences from irrigation management transfer and principles, roles of irrigation agencies etc. Part B deals with the transfer process and provides a description of the framework and legislation, plan of actions (for maintenance and improving water deliveries), implementation process, and training programs which have been put in place in some countries. Model by-laws are provided in an annex (these by-laws were used in Pakistan and in certain Latin American countries).

The country case studies presented in this book have been widely discussed, with the exception of the transfer program in Ecuador. The book argues that “Ecuador is the only country where the farmers were organized for managing the ENTIRE irrigation system as an initial design component of the transfer program. When organized at the secondary level and below, the farmers can only respond to the water deliveries received. Only by being organized at the main canal level can farmers have a meaningful say about the water supply being diverted... as well as the distribution of this water among the secondary canals”… at least up to a certain scale of irrigation projects.

The book emphasizes that physical improvement without institutional reforms may not lead to significant improvements in irrigation system performance and vice versa.

The transfer program in Ecuador was supported by the World Bank (Loan 3730-EC). Curiously no publication on that successful program is referenced in the book. The discussion on Ecuador is based on the direct experience of one of the authors. That situation contrasts with the abundant literature and the international attention given to “mythic” transfer programs that are, “well planned but with weak implementation” (as in the Philippines).

The book can be ordered at the following website: http://www.booksurge.com/author.php3?accountID=GRTU01495

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3. INPIM Executive Director Participates in an Irrigation Reform Workshop in Guyana

In October J. Raymond Peter, Executive Director participated in the National Workshop on Farmer’s Participation in Irrigation Management on PIM in Guyana. Mr. Peter gave a presentation on the irrigation reform program of Andhra Pradesh at this workshop. This workshop was a part of the preparation activities for the Agricultural Support Services Program, (ASSP) of the Government of Guyana (GOG) which will be funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.

The GOG and IDB have agreed to implement a Pilot Action Plan (PAP) as part of the preparation of ASSP which will be implemented in nine selected Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) areas which started September 2003. Water Users Associations are being formed in these areas. Several field Group Promoters (GP) consultants are being recruited and trained to facilitate the participation of farmers in the final design of the secondary rehabilitation D&I structures which will be finalized in partnership with an engineering consulting firm.

A group of 100 farmer association presidents and local leaders attended the workshop. Participants actively deliberated on issues relating to the functioning of water user associations and their sustainability. Following the workshop detailed discussions were held on the next steps for Guyana’s irrigation reform program. 

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4. INPIM Participates in the First National Workshop on PIM in China

Earlier this month INPIM organized a group of international experts on PIM which participated in the First National Workshop on Farmers’ Participation in Irrigation Management which was held on 5-7 November 2003 in Huoshan, Anhui Province, China. The group of experts was lead by J. Raymond Peter, Executive Director of INPIM and included Doug Vermillion of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Piet Jan Zijlstra, an independent consultant who has worked extensively on the Piyan Canal Rehabilitation Project in China. The three experts wrote papers about gave presentations on the following issues: international experiences with PIM, lessons learned from the Piyuan Canal Project, and irrigation reforms in Andhra Pradesh.

This event was organized by the Ministry of Water Resources China and the China Irrigation Districts Association and was jointly sponsored by the World Bank’s Beijing Office and the Department of International Development of the UK (DFID). The workshop included a field visit to the Piyuan Canal Project in Huoshan which provided workshop participants with the opportunity to interact with WUAs formed as part of this project. Approximately 200 participants from 20 provinces attended the workshop. This event was a follow up activity to INPIM’s Sixth International Seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management held in Beijing in April 2002.

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5. 2^nd WASAE International Agricultural Engineering Conference: Hunger Without Frontiers, Kumasi, Ghana, 24 - 28 September 2004

An international conference is being organized to create a forum for experts to deliberate on the issues and provide recommendations for research, development and policy directions

Topics

The conference will focus on engineering in Agriculture. Several state-of-the-art papers are expected to be presented to gain a broad up-to-date understanding of the field. Invited papers are expected in the following areas:

• Food Security, Hunger and Malnutrition in West Africa.
• HIV/AIDS and its impact on Agricultural Production
• Power and Machinery Engineering
• Soil and Water Engineering
• Post-harvest Engineering and Biotechnology
• Conservation Agriculture interventions
• Agro-energy Sources and Management
• Rural transport and IMTs
• Environmental Conservation
• Gender, Policy, Training. Extension etc.

Call for papers

Abstracts of papers in English, not exceeding 500 words should be mailed or emailed to the conference secretariat by October 30, 2003. The abstract should be typed, double-spaced and must include the title of paper, full name(s) and address(es) of author(s), objectives, methods, and significance of the reported results.

The Organizing Committee will review abstracts and authors of selected papers will be notified by October 31, 2003. Instructions for preparing manuscripts will be announced with the paper acceptance notification. Interested participants are requested to visit http://www.wasae.org/conference.details.htm and return the attached form.

Important dates

Abstract submission: 30th June 2003

Abstract acceptance notice: 30th October 2003

Submission of full paper: 30th June 2004

Conference Venue

The venue of the conference will be the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana. Kumasi, located in the forest zone, is the Garden city and the cultural capital of Ghana.

Language

The official language of the conference will be English.

Accommodation

Participants who wish to benefit from the accommodation in the registration package will be accommodated in hotels with room rates ranging from US$20 -100. Participants who want hotel accommodation that cost more than this will have to pay the extra charge.

For more information visit http://www.wasae.org/conference.htm or contact:

Dr. Sampson AGODZO

2nd Vice President, GSAE & Treasurer, WASAE

Email: skagodzo7@usa.net

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6. International Conference on Water and Wastewater Management for Developing Countries, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28 to 30 July 2004

The aims of the Conference are as follows:

• To promote the concept of appropriate technologies for water and wastewater management
• To enhance linkages between institutions, practitioners and research groups who are working on low-cost waste treatment and waste recycling systems, and promote collaborative research and development.

The Conference seeks to provide an international forum for information exchange and update, and for discussing and reviewing issues related to the theory and application of water and waste technology, appropriate for developing countries. For effectiveness, the Conference will be divided into two separate simultaneous sessions i.e.:

• Session on Science and Technology (60%)
• Session on Institutional, Operation and Management aspects (40%)

For more information visit the following website: http://www.uz.ac.zw/engineering/civil/wamdec2004/

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7. International Conference on the Sustainable Management of Sodic

Lands, February 23-28, Lucknow, India

The conference will bring together experts, scientists, national and international extension, research and development organisations and others concerned with policy, planning and implementation of sodic lands management. The goal of the Conference is to formulate action plans for the future by focusing on economically viable, socially acceptable and ecologically sustainable technologies for the management of sodic land to achieve productivity gains.

Contact: daspupcar@satyam.net.in or dvylucknow@rediffmail.com

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The contents of the INPIM E-Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management or the opinions of INPIM leadership.

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